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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · tube · stand · spring · march · wax · jam · bay

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. march — music
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. mine — for digging
  6. spring — the season
  7. stand — to bear
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wax — to grow
  16. march — the month
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. tube — a container
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com